Amal Al-Sibai
When Muslims pray, 5 times a day, they put their head to the ground in prostration and submission to the only entity worthy of worship, to the One Lord and Creator. In this position, forehead, nose, palms of the hand, knees, and toes directly touching the ground, Muslims whisper three times, “Glory be to my Lord, Most High.”
Healthcare advocates and scientists are discovering the amazing health benefits of grounding or earthing, which is what occurs during prostration in the Muslim’s prayer, especially when you pray outside on the ground.
Grounding or earthing involves walking barefoot on the Earth, or sitting outside on the grass, or being connected directly to the Earth; some of these movements are a part of the prayer.
Dr. Stephen Sinatra, cardiologist, psychotherapist, and nutrition and aging specialist, has conducted much research on the positive effects of grounding on your health.
The Earth is an electrical planet and our bodies are bioelectrical beings. When we are physically in touch with the Earth, we absorb electrons from the Earth’s surface that help neutralize the positively charged free radicals in our body that damage our cells. The destructive activity of free radicals in the body has been linked with many diseases and accelerated aging.
Grounding can reduce inflammation, pain, anxiety, and stress.
According to Dr. Sinatra, “Grounding can restore and stabilize the bioelectrical circuitry that governs your physiology and organs, harmonize your basic biological rhythms, boost self-healing mechanisms, reduce inflammation and pain, and improve your sleep and feeling of calmness.”
Dr. Sinatra also conducted research on the effects of grounding on the viscosity (thickness and clumping) of the blood. His studies found that grounding has a profound ability to thin the blood, reduce clumping of blood cells, and improve blood flow, which reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Dr. Andrew Weil also commented on the health benefits of grounding. He wrote, “A handful of small studies have found that grounding appears to provide some general health benefits, such as better sleep, less pain, reduced stress and tension, and better immune function compared to study participants who weren’t grounded.”
Research in this area seems promising.
As for the Muslims who pray five times a day, research or not, they have already experienced the calming, relaxing, and soothing effects of the prostration in their prayer. It is a combination of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual healing.
What we could benefit from the outcome of more research on grounding is to make an effort to pray more frequently outdoors; in the backyard, in a park, or in a field.
